St. Jacobs, Ontario
| St. Jacobs Saint Jacobs |
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| Unincorporated community | |
St. Jacobs farmers' market.
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 St. Jacobs
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| Coordinates: Lua error in package.lua at line 80: module 'strict' not found. | |
| Country | Canada |
| Province | Ontario |
| Regional municipality | Waterloo |
| Township | Woolwich |
| Time zone | EST (UTC-5) |
| • Summer (DST) | EDT (UTC-4) |
| Forward sortation area | N0B 2N0 |
| Area code(s) | 519 and 226 |
| NTS Map | 040P10 |
| GNBC Code | FECGS |
The community of St. Jacobs is located in southwest Ontario, just north of Waterloo in Woolwich Township, Waterloo Region. It is a popular location for tourism,[1] due to its Mennonite heritage and retail focus. The Conestogo River, which powered the village's original gristmill, runs through the village. St. Jacobs has a growing population of 1,891 people.
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History
St. Jacobs was settled in 1820 and officially named in 1852. St. Jacobs was first known as "Jakobstettel" which means "Jacob's Village" or "James's Village".[2] The St. was added to the name simply to make it sound more pleasing and the pluralization was in honour of the combined efforts of Jacob C. Snider (1791–1865) and his son, Jacob C. Snider, Jr. (1822–1857), founders of the village. The younger Jacob lost his life in the Desjardins Canal train disaster at age 35.
St. Jacobs' development as a thriving business community throughout the 1800s with such businesses as a felt factory, tannery, glue factory, flour mill, saw mill, and furniture factory. The village served the needs of surrounding pioneer farm settlements. Situated on Arthur Road, St. Jacobs boasted four hotels by 1852. One of these - today's Benjamin's Restaurant and Inn - is still operating today. Benjamin's was first named the Farmers Inn and was for many years, also known as the Dominion Hotel.
Tourism and business
The village is a commercial centre where over 100 retailers, attractions, and restaurants cater to the interests of visitors in Woolwich.[3]
St. Jacobs features dozens of artisans in historic buildings, such as the Country Mill, Village Silos, Mill Shed, and the Old Factory. Visitors may watch artisans make pottery, quilts, designer clothes, jewellery, glass vases, woven wall hangings tiffany lamps, stained glass doors, miniature doll houses and more. There are also two blacksmith shops to visit. The two-kilometre millrace lures nature lovers to stroll along the Conestogo River, under tall trees, along a narrow path. The Visitor Centre is a Mennonite interpretation centre located downtown St. Jacobs, providing information and education on the Mennonite people in the community.
St. Jacobs is also the headquarters of Home Hardware. This national chain of over 1000 independent hardware retail stores located across Canada was founded in the village in 1963.
St. Jacobs is home to the Southern Ontario Locomotive Restoration Society's (SOLRS) Restoration Shop. SOLRS operates the seasonal Waterloo Central Railway serving Waterloo, the St. Jacobs Farmer's Market and the village.
Three kilometres south of the town centre is the St. Jacobs Farmers' Market, another popular tourist draw.
St. Jacobs Farmer's Market
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Fresh farm products are sold from across the area, plus many vendors have discount clothing, toys, candy, and other wares. A factory outlet mall is located adjacent to the market site. The market, town and surrounding countryside are marketed as St Jacobs Country. Hundreds of food and craft vendors bring Ontario's farm-fresh produce, meat, cheese, baking and more.
The main market building was a two-floor post-and-beam structure with foods on the first level and home decor and crafts. The main building of the market burnt down on September 2, 2013. The market is still operational and is open during regular business hours. The main building will be rebuilt in the near future. A large tent is planned to be erected to house vendors affected by the fire.[4]
The outdoor market changes with the seasons and, when in full swing, is a mix of local growers, Old Order Mennonite farmers, quality flea market wares, edibles, bedding plants, buskers, and a petting farm.
Trails and recreation
The Millrace Footpath, a recreational trail that forms part of the Trans Canada Trail, runs along the Conestogo River from the Village of St. Jacobs to dam further up the river. The trail offers many scenic views of the river and of the millrace constructed in the 1860s that used to power the village's gristmill. The trail has a length of 2.5 km and can be used year-round. The village also has an arena and community centre, as well as a newly renovated library built in 1934, thanks to a private donation from Miss Lola Snider. There are also numerous parks and green spaces.
Famous natives
- Darryl Sittler, former NHL player
References
- ↑ Hohol, Frances (1984). Communities in transition: Elmira and St. Jacobs, Ontario: A study of resident and retailer attitudes toward tourism (M.A. thesis) Wilfrid Laurier University
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External links
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Wikimedia Commons has media related to St. Jacobs, Ontario. |
- Statistics Canada - St. Jacobs, Ontario
- St. Jacobs Country
- Region of Waterloo Library, St. Jacobs Branch
- St. Jacobs at Geographical Names of Canada
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